Bed-spring brace.



F. M. FICHTEN.-

BED SPRING BRACE. APPLICATION FILED DEC-11' 191s.

L253,@5, Patented Ja11.15,1918.

0" ALE 7K 0* 1 a J 5 Z L K 7' I L FRANK M. FIGHTER, OF MILWAUKEE,WISCONSIN.

BED-SPRING BRACE.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11.5, ilfilflltl.

Application filed. December 11, 1916. Serial No. 136,173.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. FIcH'rEN, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofIVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed-Spring Braces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact de seription thereof.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in bedsprings, more particularly of that type including a woven wire meshsuspended from the end portions of a frame.

Bed springs of this nature present a con siderable tendency to sagtoward the center, and this tendency is particularly objectionable whenthe bed is occupied by two persons, since the springs then tend to sagtransversely, and to throw the persons together in the center of thebed. I

It is primarily the object of the present invention to provide bracemeans associated with bed springs of the present nature, to preventtheir transverse sagging tendency, yet in such manner as to not detractfrom the desired general resiliency of the support afforded by the bedsprings. It is further an object to provide such brace means, which alsoserve to limit the longitudinal sagging tendency of the springs.

A still further object resides in the provision of a brace means whichmay be readily attached to finished bed springs, although in someinstances my invention contemplates the association of my improved bracemeans with the bed springs, during the manufacture thereof.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionresides more particularly in the novel combination, formation andarrangement of parts hereinafter specifically described and pointed outin the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a bed spring, with one form of my improvedbrace means associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through one attached end portionof the brace means, on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through said end portion asindicated by the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 5designates the body frame of a conventional type of bed spring, whereinthe resilient woven body mesh 6 is secured to the end sills ofthe frame,andfreely movable with respect to the side sills thereof. The presentform of my improved brace means comprises a pair of end attaching plates7 each bent to form a U -shaped cross section, and passing through thesides of each plate adjacent to one end thereof is a bolt 8 which isalso passed through a corresponding end of a bar 9 connecting theplates, whereby said bar is secured to each plate, and these bolts alsopass through the adjacent portions of the mesh of the spring body.Secured by bolts 10 to the lower side of the other ends of the plates isa second bar 11 which is thus held in spaced parallel relation to thebar 9 and this bar 11 is relatively wider and thinner than the bar 9 andthus possesses considerable resiliency. To hold the brace structure thusdescribed against possible twisting movement on the spring body, theupper sides of the plates adjacent the bar 11 are provided with inwardlyextending arms 12 which seat on the body mesh.

In attaching the brace device, the body mesh is preferably stretchedbetween the bolts 8, and the surplus material of the mesh is bunched inupwardly bowed portions of the upper sides of the plates. The bracedcvice thus holds the body mesh against lateral sagging particularlyadjacent its inter mediate portion, and the brace device also serves tohold the spring mesh against longitudinal sagging inasmuch as thelongitudinal sagging tendency is thus distributed. It will beappreciated. therefore that the present brace device does not detractmaterially from the resiliency of the body mesh, but rather distributesthe yielding tendency oi the body mesh, so that an excessive yieldingdoes not occur at the center of the bed, and it will be appreciated thatupon the disposition of the mattress over the spring mesh the presenceof the brace member will not present any inconvenience.

"While I have shown one specific form of my present invention, it is tobe appreciated that, inasmuch as the essential feature of the inventionresides in the provision of a transverse brace member carried by andmovable with the intermediate portion of the spring mesh, variousstructures may be employed till lOb

Within the spirit of the invention and that the invention is limited inscope only by the appended claims.

WVhat is claimed is l. A bed spring brace comprising a pair of platesbent in U-shape to adjustably embrace the sides of the spring, body meshof a bed spring, a bar having its ends secured to corresponding ends ofsaid plates and a second bar having its ends secured to the other endsof thesaid plates.

2. A bed spring brace comprising a pair of? plates bent in U-shape toembrace the sides; of the spring body mesh of a bed spring, abarconnected. with corresponding ends of the plates, means for securingsaid corresponding ends of the plates to the spring body mesh, a barhaving its ends secured to-corrtaspondihgside portions of the other endsof the plates, and inwardly extendingarms at the other sides of saidother ends of the plates. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I havehereunto set myhand atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence iof two witnesses-a FRANICM; .FIOHTEN; Witnesses:

FRANK. St RATCLIFFE, VERN Boswontrm Copies-of thispatnt. ma be obtained:m five: cents each, by addfe ssingrthe s Commissioner of Patntm-Washington; 11.0.

